Chocolate Maca "Zoats"

It's a well known fact that porridge is one of my go to breakfasts in the morning, especially when it's cold and rainy outside. There is nothing more comforting than warm, chocolatey oats! However, as I mentioned a few days ago, I'm on a bit of a mission to take my fitness training to a new level. Thanks to help from my personal trainer and another PT, we've set me up with a bit of a more structural food plan. It's nothing drastic (no macro counting or anything...yet) but I'm a self confessed carb-a-holic so one of my big goals at the moment is to train myself to reach for protein snacks rather than fruits and flapjacks. Don't get me wrong, I've been eating a very healthy diet for a very long time, full of fruits, healthy proteins, healthy fats, etc, but I have #goals! So I'm giving it my best shot. Stay tuned ;)

So back to porridge! I've seen recipes for "zoats" (which stands for Zucchini Oats, by the way) (North American's call courgette's, zucchinis!) floating around on Instagram and Pinterest for quite a while now, but honestly didn't think they would be for me. Let me tell you why: it involves adding courgette to your porridge. Yes, I was sceptical as well. I'm a volume eater. I love food, and I have a hard time with small portions, I admit that 100%. So when I saw these the other day, it hit me that (if they didn't taste gross) they could be the solution to all my problems! So off I went one morning, and hesitantly grated my courgette into my oats.

Life = changed.

I promise you, you cannot taste the courgette in these. AT.ALL. In fact, you can't tell they're even there. All it does is add to the volume of your oats, and give you the impression that you're eating a lot more of them than you actually are. Also, it's never a bad thing to have more veggies in your diet, right? Win win!

I am a well known chocolate lover, so I automatically add Cacao powder to almost all my porridge. Cacao is unprocessed cacao beans, and is really high in antioxidants. Maca powder is also something I add to a lot of my breakfasts. Maca has a slightly matly taste to it, so it works really well with chocolate. It has loads of health benefits, including increasing energy levels, and regulating hormone levels.

So, now that I've convinced you that these are totally worth trying, here's how you do it.

You'll need:1/2 Cup of oats1/3rd of a courgette1 Cup of Almond milk (or any other milk of your choice)1 Tsp of Cacao Powder1 Tsp of Maca Powder1 Tsp of Flaxseeds1 Tsp of Maple Syrup or Honey (sweetener of choice!)

1. Add the oats to a pan

2. Grate your courgette with a standard cheese grater into the oats

3. Add your almond milk and stir all the ingredients together

4. Cook the mixture on a medium heat for 4-6 minutes until the oats are cooked through

5. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well

6. Add toppings of your choice! I went for a handful of blueberries and raspberries, and a dollop of natural peanut butter :)

7. Enjoy!

Let me know if you make "Zoats" of your own, and how you find them :) I'd love to hear what you think.